Pulse News

**U.K. Creators' TikTok Problem**

By Kaya Yurieff

Feb 26, 2025, 2:56pm PST

There's been a lot written about how U.S. creators will handle a potential TikTok shutdown in the U.S. But TikTokers in other countries such as the United Kingdom also stand to lose, and some are already finding it's harder to close advertising deals.

U.K. creators have sizable portions of their TikTok audiences in the U.S., with estimates ranging from 20% to more than 40%, British talent managers told me on a recent visit to London. These TikTokers' U.S. audiences are also a key reason why advertisers want to work with them. If TikTok goes dark in the U.S., these creators' leverage with sponsors could drop.

Jonny Davies, a senior talent manager at management firm Sixteenth, told me it's taking longer to hash out deals for his creator clients that start after the April 5 deadline President Trump set to figure out a solution. He's seeing delays "until we have a bit more understanding of what's going to happen.” In addition, contracts are now more frequently including clauses to renegotiate terms if TikTok does disappear in the U.S., such as posting the content to other social apps instead.

More uncertainty is ahead. Davies isn't sure how the behavior of TikTok's global users would change in the face of a U.S. ban. “U.K. audiences are watching U.S. creators," he said. "If you go onto a platform and you're not seeing the creators you like, will you go elsewhere?"

London-based creator economy startups have also been preparing for a potential ban. Influencer marketing agency Kyra has beefed up technology capabilities for analyzing Instagram videos, which helps it better match creators and advertisers for deals, said CEO and co-founder Devran Amaratunga Karaca. It did this anticipating that the Meta-owned app could absorb much of the audience and engagement from TikTok if it were to be banned in the U.S.

Karaca also said 90% of Kyra's campaigns have shifted to include multiple social platforms and geographies. In the beginning of last year, he said there were more campaigns focused on one platform, such as only on TikTok.

He sees a silver lining for British creators if the U.S. bans TikTok. "With fewer U.S. influencers in the mix, the U.K. could solidify itself as one of the dominant content hubs on TikTok," Karaca said. "If the U.S. presence diminishes, that attention has to shift somewhere."